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The Color Orange project

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This appeal of support for The Color Orange Project was first sent out in January 2008, to about 25,000 people all over the world. If you have not received it, then sign up for the newsletter, and then you will receive e-mails about the project in the future. Support the project by sending the following request to your own mailing list.

For the press, the mailing list and other interested people:

Can China forbid the Color Orange?

Help us making a global manifestation about the human rights in China, and support our appeal. If this is going to succeedit will take many people using their own mailing list and networks to forward this letter, only in that way can we create a wave in the global communication and bring TheColorOrange.net project out to all corners of the world.

We hereby encourage you to join the initiative TheColorOrange.net with the aim of showing China - during the Olympics in August 2008 - that we are many people who are keeping an eye on China's human rights violations.

The idea is both sophisticated and simple. By using something with the color orange during the Olympics - both inside and outside of China - you are sending a signal to the world that something is wrong in China. It can be anything, like an orange hat, camera bag, tie, pen, paper, dress, suit, bag etc. Even pealing an orange will be considered a pronounced statement.

No political or religious movement can claim to have a monopoly of the initiative. By participating in the project you show that you support the fight for human rights in China.

The Chinese Government wants to present the Olympics as perfect and streamlined to billions of television viewers around the globe with the aim of promoting China as a modern and efficient society. They will do anything it takes to avoid getting criticized on television. However, by using the Color Orange we are exactly capable of breaking with the harsh censorship and embitter the joy of the regime. At the same time, millions of oppressed Chinese people will have a voice during the Olympics 2008.

The Olympic Charter stipulates as fundamental Olympic principles: "the respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and the promotion of "a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity". Nobody can fairly claim that the Chinese regime is living up to these standards. On the contrary, the usage of the orange color will be an ethical and non-political statement that is indeed in deep harmony with the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement.

The initiative can only succeed if a lot of people are aware of the significance of the Color Orange. This would normally require a publicity budget of million of dollars. This, however, we don't have. But in stead we (might) have you :-) If you, and millions of others, help pass on this idea together we can create a butterfly effect blowing an orange wind over China.

- Pass on this e-mail to everybody on your mailing list. Go to the website www.TheColorOrange.net and sign up to the mailing list in order for you to get continuous updates about the initiative. Report to the website with those activities or ideas in which you have used the Color Orange so that we can spread out the happy message as an inspiration to others.

- Make creative use of the Color Orange in relation to Olympic events. If you practice any kind of sport or are a member of an association that supports human rights you can encourage them to use orange in their material and to publicly support the campaign.

- The Dutch national Olympic team is because of their orange colors natural born members of the initiative. What about your country's Olympic heroes? Are the only heroes when it comes to sport? Imagine if the first gold winner in China wipes off the sweat with an orange handkerchief...

The Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot is the initiator of the manifestation 'the Color Orange'. The artist is independent of political and religious interests and has often made global art events in favor of humanism, among others in collaboration with the democratic movement in China.

The Color Orange is inspired by what the painter Kandinsky said when he stated that the color orange is in fact red that has been made more human by the color yellow. The Chinese color is exactly red so maybe we can support the humanistic forces in the country by introducing the Color Orange. The selection of the Color Orange is however also inspired by the color of the prison uniforms in Guantanamo, the monks in Tibet and Burma and so on.

We hope that many individuals and organizations will support this initiative and use the Color Orange.

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